Printers, all-in-one.(multifunction printers )(Buyers guide)

If all you do is print, you can save money and space by purchasing a dedicated printer. But if there's any chance you might want to copy or scan, it's worth investigating an all-in-one. While most models are bigger than the typical new stand-alone printer, they take up less space and cost less than a separate printer, scanner, and copier. Having to hook up only one device to your computer simplifies setup as well. An all-in-one's scanning function should be fine for print originals. Some can also handle basic film and slide scanning, though for top quality we recommend a separate scanner. The copying function is fine for casual use. Some all-in-ones add fax, phone, and answering functions. As the Ratings show, paying more for a printer doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better photos. And don't consider only the purchase price of the printer itself. Per-print costs can make a cheaper model more expensive in the long run than a higher-priced printer with low per-copy costs.

Quick Picks

Best choices among all-in-one inkjets:

1 Canon Pixma MP800, $280

5 Canon Pixma MP450, $150

12 Epson CX3810, $90

The Canon Pixma MP800 printed excellent photos and text and was among the fastest we tested, printing an 8x10 in 2 minutes, for $1.25. The other Canon did almost as well, and its cost for an 8x10 was $1.05. Both have an LCD viewer, card reader, and PictBridge; the MP800 adds film-scanning. The Epson is low-priced, and it has fine photo and text quality. But it's slow (9 minutes …